


Isolated, Together

by BallofKarn1



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, It's Okay To Be Scared Sometimes, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:10:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23474386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BallofKarn1/pseuds/BallofKarn1
Summary: With a pandemic tearing through Zootopia, Judy has a bit of a breakdown. Luckily, Nick is there to provide comfort.
Relationships: Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Comments: 16
Kudos: 89





	Isolated, Together

It really was bizarre to see such a large city almost completely emptied. Barren streets, lonely benches, a few scraps of paper dancing in the breeze over the asphalt. Zootopia normally felt like a living, breathing thing, a massive animal that never slept whose pulse was the cars and animals normally filling its streets. This... this was somehow more unnatural than thinking of the city as alive.

Judy sighed and twitched her muzzle again to check that the fit of her mask was tight. She knew that self-isolation and social distancing were the best possible measures to combat the disease ripping apart the city. Chief Bogo had even given a full presentation detailing the goals, challenges, and benefits of the measures, as well as a grim list of downsides should they not be upheld. The bunny was determined to do her best to serve and protect her city and its residents.

That was three weeks ago. Now she was bone tired, worn down by the constant stress of policing a city under voluntary quarantine while also keeping herself and the mammals she cared about safe. The movements were almost robotic, but the rabbit was straining herself to keep up with each and every guideline. Even now she saw Nick’s arm raise from the corner of her eye and reached out, bumping his forearm with the side of her wrist to keep him from shifting his mask with his gloved paw.

“Not with your glove. Wait till we wash our paws.” Her words were stern and delivered curtly. The fox grunted, nose twitching under the fabric. _Great, now I’m being rude to my mate._

Police were, obviously, essential to a city’s ability to function, no matter how shriveled that function may be. They weren’t out to stop mammals to make sure they were obeying the stay at home order; the officers were out to patrol, enforce the ban on public gatherings, and were sometimes the first responders to mammals struggling to breath and possibly infectious. At least one in ten mammals in the department were already sick. Thankfully, their shift was soon over.

“That’s five o’clock. C’mon, Carrots.” Nick didn’t sound upset, but he did sound as tired as she felt. Working thirteen days in a row will do that to a mammal. At least they got two consecutive days off now.

Judy turned her head to look down the street again, watching the setting sunbeams stream between the buildings to land on empty pavement. A few mammals walked here and there, but it was far from the normal bustle of the city. Empty buildings loomed over her and for the first time she felt very small. Not in the way she was used to; her boyfriend was easily a foot taller than she was and he was still tiny compared to their largest coworkers. No, this was different. She felt inconsequential, helpless to do anything but robotically follow all the protocols to stay healthy, but she had seen plenty of mammals do that and still fall ill. She could do nothing for the millions of mammals trying their best to wait it all out, and she was still one of the lucky ones. Actuary tables flashed in her mind. Grizzoli and Delgato smoked, their chances more like those of mammals in their fifties than otherwise healthy ones in their early thirties. Sergeant Higgins was immunosuppressed from a battle with cancer some years prior, dipping his survival odds by over ten percent. The Bogos were expecting, Charlotte close to term by now. It had been a happy announcement just a few short months ago, but now the stern bull’s face was looking tighter by the day. That didn’t even account for the healthcare workers and thousands of already sick mammals increasingly clogging the hospitals. Or the rising number of dead. She couldn’t help, she couldn’t do anything other than what she’d been doing, and even with their precautions there was a decent chance that either she or Nick would still get sick. And how selfish was she for that? Two mammals who’d likely get over it like a bout with the flu yet the rabbit was still terrified either one of them would catch it. She shivered despite the heat of the square.

An elbow nudged her lightly. “Carrots. Let’s go.” The bunny blinked, turning to see Nick behind her. His face was unreadable behind his mask and sunglasses. She just wanted to see it, see what he was thinking, but instead she nodded mechanically. 

They climbed into the cruiser and the protocols began again. Remove gloves, discard gloves in plastic bag, use paw sanitizer, wipe down surfaces and door handles with Leosol wipes, discard wipes in plastic bag, store masks in glove compartment, and then drive. Head straight home - they made nothing but essential trips to the precinct at this point - exit cruiser, go to apartment, enter apartment, use paw sanitizer, close door, and only then did she feel they were allowed to breathe.

The fox stretched with a groan as he walked to the kitchen. “I’m gonna heat up some of that pasta we made. You want the first shower?” Nick called over his shoulder.

“Yeah,” she said at his back. The bunny walked to the bathroom on autopilot. She twisted the knobs to let the water run before automatically walking to the sink and washing her paws and... And the rabbit paused, staring down at her sudsy paws. Why was she washing her paws? She was about to shower.

Shaking her head, Judy stripped and stepped into the spray. The repetitive beating of droplets calmed her somewhat. _Washing my paws before showering_ , she thought. _Nick would never let me hear the end of it!_

The water pressure dipped and she stepped forward to chase it when it suddenly roared back to full and a drop hit her in the eye. Cursing at the sting, Judy’s paws shot up before reflexively stopping and flying away from her face. The rabbit stood there, staring at her own trembling paws that she held at arms length away from her own face. Then she started to cry. Arms wrapping around herself and sinking down to the tub, the bunny rested her forehead on her knees and bit down on her lip to muffle her sobs. She cried out of helplessness and worry and exhaustion and a fear that she was becoming too paranoid to touch herself even with clean paws.

“Carrots?” Nick sharply rapped on the door with his knuckles. “Pasta’s ready.”

“M’kay...” Judy bit down harder to stifle her crying.

“...Fluff? You doing okay?”

“Fine.” She had to fight to keep a tremble out of her voice.

The door creaked open. “Judy? Is something wrong?” At this point she didn’t trust herself to attempt any more words. She heard the click of his claws before the curtain was pulled back. “Oh, Judy...”

Judy looked up through tears to see the fox’s face twisted in anguish. Without a moment’s delay he stepped into the tub fully clothed and kneeled behind her, the bunny throwing herself against him so she could sob into his quickly drenched uniform. Big paws gently stroked her back and the fox murmured soft words. “Hey hey. I’m here. I’m here for you. C’mon, let it all out. It’s okay. I’m here.”

It took a while for her to cry herself out. Nick eventually sat back and pulled the naked bunny into his lap, soothing and stroking her the entire time. Judy finally gave one last sniffle and turned her head to rest her cheek on his chest. Emotionally drained from the outburst, it was all she could do to state the obvious.

“Nick, you’re all wet.” 

He chuckled. “Well, you were crying pretty hard.”

“I meant from the shower you dolt,” she mumbled. The water was still running but the fox had seated them outside of the direct spray.

“Yeah... That too.” Nick started to lightly scritch the back of her neck, something she always found relaxing. “So... What was that about?”

“Haaah, I don’t know,” Judy sighed. “It’s just... everything is starting to feel like a lot. I had a knee jerk reaction when I tried to touch my face and it all just kinda hit me at once. Mammals are getting sick everywhere and I know we’re trying our best but I’m can’t stop thinking we’ll get sick and I just feel so...”

“Scared?” Nick offered.

Judy nodded, tears brimming again. “I’m terrified, Nick.”

Nick pulled her in tighter. “Me too, Fluff. Me too.”

“And I’m just so tired.”

“Well... it makes sense. You’re running yourself ragged.” The fox cupped her chin so that she met his gaze. “I have never, **ever** met a mammal in my entire life that was more dedicated to trying to help others than you. This is something that you can’t really do anything about and it’s driving you crazy.”

His words rang true, but that hardly made her feel any better. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“Keep doing what you’ve always done. Put one footpaw in front of the other, keep going, and we’ll get through this together. I know we can do it.”

The bunny wanted to believe him. “How do you know?”

“Because you’ve done it before.” She gave him a look and the fox elaborated. “Hear me out. I’m not saying they’re the same situations, but what did you do when mammals said that you’d never make it through the academy?”

“I finished top of my class,” Judy answered softly, still proud after several years had passed.

"And then when you had an impossible case to solve?” He prompted.

“I solved it, but come on, I had some help.” She was starting to smile a little.

The fox grinned widely. “And then when you made an absolute mess of that press conference and nearly ruined our friendship for good?”

Judy’s jaw dropped in shock before she glowered at the fox. “I thought you were trying to make me feel better," she grumbled.

He stroked her cheek. “I am sweetheart. You said you spent six miserable months in Bunnyburrow before you came back.” Judy nodded, still frowning at him. “Six months feeling stuck in the mud, like you couldn’t do anything. Then you came back and saved the city. And more than that, you apologized to me.“ The bunny gave him a very flat look. “Okay, maybe not more than that, but look. If you had come to me and said ‘we have to save the city Nick, we have to' and that was it, I would have told you to get bent. But you apologized too. Saving the city was more important but you felt you needed to do what was right and fix our friendship." He softly kissed the side of her head. "That's all we can do. Keep trying to do what's right. We're at a dark and lonely point right now, it's difficult and exhausting, but someday soon we'll floor it all the way back to Zootopia."

Judy sat quietly, enjoying the soft petting and thinking over what he had said. She looked up at him. The fox's eyes were closed, his face somewhere between peaceful and stoic. "I'm worried about my parents."

"Me too. How is Bunnyborrow holding up during all this?"

"Same as a lot of places I suppose. At least it's been relatively easy for them to isolate the burrow. They grow almost all of their own food anyway and it's not like it's ever been a major tourist destination. Although I do think the kits are starting to go a little crazy." Her last muzzletime conversation with her parents had been interrupted a few dozen times by nearly every one of her younger siblings and cousins, the youngest kits just crawling on top of her parents to see the screen. The image made her smile until a thought occurred. "Nick, what about your parents? You never talk about them."

It was a few moments before he spoke. "Dad died before I was born, so for better or worse I don't have to worry about him right now, but I'm worried about my mom. I haven't talked about her much because when I ran out as a kit she took it pretty hard and I've only been fixing the relationship recently. I went to go see her for, gods, the first time in close to twenty years when I got my badge."

"I know she must be proud of you."

He smiled. "She cried and hugged me and I..." Clearing his throat slightly, he shifted the subject. "By the way, she's very excited for when she can safely meet you."

"Me?" Judy asked, ears going ramrod straight.

Nick waved his claws in front of him. "Well you see, I told her about my amazing beautiful wonderful partner and maybe I was just a little too enthusiastic in my praise because she immediately asked me when the wedding was."

The bunny giggled. "What did she say when you told her I was a doe, not a vixen?"

The fox just grinned. "I didn't bring it up. Imagine my surprise when as I'm leaving she says 'you know, rabbits call them kits, too.'"

"She did not!" Judy squealed in laughter.

"Cross my heart," Nick said, dragging a claw in a quick 'X' across his chest. "Why do you think I left when I started hustling? I never could pull a fast one on her."

"I hope this all blows over soon so I can meet her," the bunny sighed wistfully.

"I know you'll love her... or you'll kill each other."

"Nick! I-I would never!" Judy sputtered indignantly.

The fox just laughed. "You're way too much alike! One of you would take control of the conversation and the other just wouldn't be able to stand it!"

The bunny groaned. " **Please** don't tell me we started dating because I remind you of your mother..."

"What's wrong with that? What's wrong with seeing a mammal who's smart, brave, and confident and thinking she's amazing because of it?"

"Hmmm... I guess it doesn't sound so bad when you put it that way," the bunny mused. After a few moments her eyes widened. They were just sitting and talking like normal. "How do you do that? How are you so calm and why are you so good at calming me down?"

"Honestly, I'm not calm," Nick answered. "I'm scared too. But I have to be brave for my bunny." He smirked, but then his face grew more serious. "It's exhausting keeping up with everything, and I've started slipping a little. It's so hard to not scratch your muzzle when you're almost through with a shift wearing an itchy mask. But I've got you looking out for me. Just like I'm looking out for you." The fox smiled lovingly, staring deep into her eyes. "So you keep me on track at work, I'll tell you everything's going to be okay at home, we try our best, and we will get through this. Together."

"Together," Judy answered. The bunny looked down. "Your uniform is soaked though. C'mon! Arms up!"

Playfully grumbling at her command, he lifted them both up and helped her remove his clothes, the drenched fabric splatting against the tile when they tossed each article to the side. "We needed to do laundry anyway. Did you wash your back yet?"

When the bunny answered that she had not he poured a big pawful of shampoo and started washing his smaller girlfriend. She relaxed into the intimate feel of his paws, finally letting that last coil of tension go. They'd have to be right back at it in a few days, but for now they could just pretend they were in a little bubble where nothing was wrong. Once she was clean the bunny returned the favor and they dried off and changed into their pajamas together, feeling somewhat revitalized. The leftovers were nothing special, but they were tasty enough and filling. Nick pulled the bunny to the couch after dinner, grabbing the remote.

"So what now?" Judy asked, snuggling against his chest.

"I realized not that long ago that your familiarity with classic eighties movies was sorely lacking. So we're going to sit here and watch all of them."

"All of them? I'm not sure I can pay attention to that many silent movies in a row," Judy snarked, a real smile finally back on her face.

"Hardy-har-har. I'll have you know that _the talkies_ have been around since at least 1984 and color movies since '88. And we're going to watch all of them," Nick confirmed.

The bunny made it through Night Mare on Elm Street and half of Furris Bueller before she started softly snoring into his chest. She must have been really drained from the past few weeks, and the fox was kicking himself for not noticing sooner how much things were getting to her. The bunny was so driven, but the strain of going full speed with no end in sight had clearly worn her down. Nick turned off the movie and slipped an arm under her rear, lifting his comparatively tiny girlfriend and carrying her to bed. She grumbled slightly in her sleep but settled when he wrapped his arms around her and she could nuzzle into his chest. The fox clicked off the light and was asleep soon after.

\------------------

Crying could be cathartic.

Judy woke up feeling more relaxed than she'd been in a month. Soft light was spilling through the curtains onto the bed; she must have slept in. She rolled over without opening her eyes, stretching out a paw to pat at the sheets beside her. With a displeased groan she opened her eyes to see she was alone, but she could hear her fox moving around in the living room. The bunny smirked, rolling and stretching against the still warm sheets. They'd been so busy and tired lately that they hadn't really felt like being intimate in a while. But Judy was feeling a lot better than she had in a while, and she wanted to find her boyfriend and share that feeling. The rabbit shucked her comfy shirt when she rose, leaving her in just a pair of panties. 

The bunny slinked to the door, opening it as quietly as she could and searching for her target. She found Nick's back as the fox was bent over the coffee table, mumbling under his breath. She put her paws behind her head and puffed out her bare chest, striking a pose against the door frame. "Hey, Slick. Guess what I got you for breakfast," she called seductively.

"Judy!" Nick squawked. 

"Judy!" Came a chorus of voices that sounded terrifyingly similar to her family members from the open laptop in front of him. 

"What!?" Judy shrieked, covering her torso with her paws. Luckily, the fox had the webcam in his paw.

"Sorry! Sorry everyone!" Nick said to the members of her family on the computer screen. "I thought I saw her and got excited. I bet she probably heard that and is getting up. I'll go get her." He sneakily hit the buttons to turn off the camera and mute the mic before turning around to the flushed, shocked rabbit.

"Nick, what the hell is going on?" Judy panic whispered.

"I had your parents download a program so we could all play a game together. I was just walking them through the set up, but I didn't expect you to walk in half naked." The fox looked amused at the situation, and the bunny could do nothing but mumble in humiliation and scramble back into the bedroom for her shirt.

"Gods, I can't believe I just flashed my whole family." This was a nightmare. So much worse than realizing you were in school with no pants. She honestly wished the floor would just open up and swallow her whole.

"Don't worry." She shot him a glare. Nick looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. "We were working through some technical difficulties and the camera was focused on me. They couldn't have seen you."

Judy groaned. "Cold comfort when I was trying to seduce you first thing in the morning in front of them."

"I had the mic cupped in my paw so I could whisper into it. I bet it fuzzed up the audio when I squeezed it the second I heard you." The jerk was a half second from laughing, but he quickly picked up on her growing anger. "Sorry. It's not really funny. You seemed so down last night that I thought this would cheer you up. I got your parents and some of your siblings to agree to play with us. Are you still up for it or should I tell them you aren't feeling well?"

The bunny sighed. She really couldn't stay angry with him for long. "No, it's a sweet thought. I just know we haven't been intimate recently and thought I'd surprise you with a quick romp on the couch."

"There's still a lot of day left, bunny," he growled, looking down at her hungrily. She pushed his muzzle to the side as a smile finally tugged at her lips.

"Later, you horndog. You left my family on hold, remember?"

Nick only smirked down at her. "Later for sure," he whispered into her ear in a heated promise. He popped back up with a completely innocent grin on his face despite how her thighs clenched at his tone. "Now come on. I'm sure you'll love this."

Her dad was loudly asking for the fox, moving his head this way and that to get closer to wherever he thought the microphone on their computer was. She could see some of her siblings in the background alternating between pointing at the camera and putting their paws to their foreheads. Nick clicked to turn their camera and mic back on.

"Judy!" Voices erupted joyfully at her appearance. "Jude, let me tell you," Stu said. "I'm still not too sure this'll all work. Nick says it'll work but we just cut out for near a minute. These things are so unreliable!" 

"You walked him through getting this working?" Judy whispered while her father ranted.

"Fluff, I love your family. I really do," he whispered back. "I know I said there's a lot of day left, but it's been a long, long morning already. Let's just leave it at that." Putting a big grin back on his face, Nick addressed the bunnies on the computer the computer. "Sorry about that Mr. Hopps. It's working now so how about we give it a shot. Now, I want you to click the button that makes my camera full screen and I'll share it so you can see too. Everybody get on your phones and go to jackalbox.tv..."

**Author's Note:**

> Wash your hands and keep safe out there.
> 
> I'm actually an employee in an essential industry. Luckily I'm about as low-risk as possible because my work keeps me away from most other people, but I still have to interact with some and it ends up being a lot of constant stress. I'm worried about getting someone else sick. I catch myself touching my face or something and I know I'm getting paranoid about washing my hands. I'm fine, but I have friends and family who are old or immunosuppressed or have a medical history or have careers where they are far more exposed to potential sick people. 
> 
> It's important to practice social distancing, wash your hands, and keep as safe as possible. Not just for yourself, but for those you come in contact with. And it's by no means unreasonable to be concerned about yourself. Young, healthy people have died even with medical intervention, and even if you're okay the people around you may not be. 
> 
> So here I am writing a Zootopia short story about a pandemic. It's been kind of a weird year.
> 
> Judy always struck me as an overly caring person, someone who would do everything she could to care for others even to her own detriment. So I don't think it's unreasonable that she would start to breakdown after a few weeks of all this. On the other hand I've always imagined that while Nick wouldn't be as caring for mammals in general, he'd be intensely concerned about those close to him.
> 
> Also this is an absolutely shameless plug for jackbox.tv games. It's been a great way for my family and friends to stay connected right now.
> 
> This is a bit different from what I usually write, and I'm sure I'll be writing another smutfest in a few days, but this is what's been on my mind. Everybody stay safe.


End file.
